


The Cross of the Kurosakis'

by JelloMarshmallowGlade



Category: Bleach
Genre: Canon Divergent, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff, For Want of a Nail, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Isshin's A+ Parenting, Minor Character Death, Quincy!Ichigo, Sort-of OP Ichigo, Spoilers, soul society - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2019-11-01 06:01:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17861678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JelloMarshmallowGlade/pseuds/JelloMarshmallowGlade
Summary: Finally, when the battle was over and the dust settled, a young boy stood over his mother’s bloody corpse, cold rain riveting down the skin of his back. And in his hand, he held a glowing blue bow, the hollow in front of him but black glitter dancing away in the breeze.OrWhat if Ichigo grew up a Quincy? Would that be enough to tip the scale in his favour?





	1. Cast Off Your Fear

_It had been a rainy day. Rain fell in sheets, blanketing the world in a thick, hazy mist. Fitting, that such a day's sky yielded so many tears, as if sharing it's part in the grief of the young boy._

_"Ichigo, my dear son-" A hacking cough ripped through her throat. "I-I love you."_

_A young boy clung onto his mother's emaciated form desperately, small hands clenched around rain-soaked fabric. His voice, torn raw by the frantic shouts, pleaded weakly. "No, mom, please! I'll protect you, I promise. I-I promise…" He broke down into wordless sobs, head bowed, body crumpled weakly over the blood-splattered hole in the woman's chest as if by willpower alone, he could heal it._

_A cold hand cupped the young boy's cheek, gently swiping tears from the corner of his eyes. "Take this. Protect yourself and run away. I-It is the last thing I can give you, and for that, I apologise." She said, barely a whisper passing through her lips._

_A small bracelet of some kind was pressed into his palm, the cross-angled pendant cutting into his numb skin painfully. "Mom? Mom! Please, please, don't leave me! I-I can't- Not without you-"_

_"M-My wonderful son. Take care of your sisters, they need you. You, protector, are the only one who can do this, I believe. But always, always remember, I love y-" And the hand against his cheek fell softly, hanging limply by the woman's side._

_Her last breath was stolen, but the warmth of her hand still lingered on Ichigo's skin, her last words still remained in his ears. While his body trembled, while his world crumbled, Ichigo vowed that he wouldn't let the monster that did this get away with his life._

_And so he unclenched his fist, staring deeply at the metal cross resting on his palm. A small imprint of the 5 pointed cross was etched into the skin of his palm, the red dyed white. As he concentrated, gripping it tighter and tighter until he could almost imagine blood trickling from where the sharp edges cut into his skin._

_Abruptly, a pulse of power echoed through his body, through his veins, through his mind. He almost stumbled back, but managed to catch himself at the last second, hand supported against the muddy grass next to him. A consciousness sprung into being, ensconced in the deepest part of his mind; ragged brown hair swaying in the wind, ripped cloak fluttering._

_And suddenly, suddenly, he knew what to do._

_A bright blue bow erupted from where he grasped the cross tightly in his left hand, illuminating the grey with an azure luminescence. As he drew his right hand back,  an arrow appeared poised in the bow, fingers curled against the sparking bowstring. He could still hear the monster's howl in the background, the fog obscuring any view of the monstrosity. But he could still… feel it there; a clear outline of blue particles, clustered around the sides as if it were a void. Without doubts, without regrets, he let the arrow fly._

_It sliced through the haze like butter, cutting true to its target. Trails of blue fire and flickers of flame flanked the arrow's path, revealing a straight line of sight for Ichigo as it streaked into and past the monster, gouging a clean hole through the centre of the monster. Its pure-white mask, once curved into a grotesque smirk, now was coloured with surprise, shock that a mere human was facing against it and winning. The single crack factured, spiderwebbed, shattered into thousands of glittering particles as the monster itself dissolved, blending once more into thin air._

_Ichigo took a deep breath to steady himself, his numb fingers still clenched around the bow. It took a few seconds, until it shimmered out of existence, the cross pendant settling once again into the curve of his hand. He slipped the chain onto his hand, and the cross rested comfortably against the inside of his wrist. Almost like it belonged there._

_He took one last look at his mother's crimson soaked corpse, before closing his eyes and raising his head to the sky. The raindrops were insignificant, even as they blended silently with his, salt and fresh._

 

_''ll never let anything happen to my family again. Yuzu, Karin, I'll definitely protect you.'_

 

"I'll definitely protect you… huh?" Ichigo murmured, chin propped up against his arm. Less than a month later, he was already back in school, as if nothing had ever happened. When the news hit, his father withdrew from the world, now found huddled in their living room with a glass of beer always present, blank look horrible plastered across his face like a mask. He hadn't been of any help parent-wise, a burden, nothing more. He couldn't even see the way his children were suffering, not even when little Yuzu's sobs travelled through the house, or when dear Karin came home covered in cuts and bruises but didn't shed a single tear.

It fell to him to pick up the pieces of their family, comfort Yuzu's shuddering body even as he fought against himself, clean and bandage Karin's wounds, even as he himself couldn't bring to offer any comfort more than a tense silence.

_Take care of your sisters. You are the only one who can do this._

Why did his mother ask _him_ to do this? Did she know that his father, her husband, would be of no help at all? Why was she the one to have to die? If it had been him… everyone else would still be okay. Even without him. His mother would pick up the pieces better than he ever could.

"…Kurosaki. Kurosaki! Pay attention in class, will you?" His teacher called out sternly. Ichigo turned his head lazily, making eye contact with the teacher who's head passed barely over the textbook she was reading. She glared disapprovingly at him, his slouched posture so vastly different than everyone else in his class. _Well, they hadn't gone through what I have, have they?_

"Kurosaki. Can you answer this question for me." The blackboard was tapped harshly, the resulting knocks resounding through the classroom. There was silence, as most held barely concealed expressions of fear, and whispers of "he's going to get it, isn't he?" traversed the desks.  
Ichigo quirked an eyebrow unimpressed. Honestly, there was nothing that could really scare him anymore - not past a monster showing up and killing his mother, and surely not simply a less-than-kind teacher. He considered the board slowly, white chalk splintered across its surface, equations written with complicated numbers and confusing symbols. Even he could see that this was on a different level to the questions that they had been learning minutes earlier; this was written specifically for him. But he didn't let that faze him - studying each component carefully, rearranging them in his head. An answer flashed, bright and white, in his mind.

"245." He stated calmly. He took a small pleasure in seeing the teacher's face contort into surprise; she clearly hadn't expected him to actually answer the question. After his mom died, he threw himself into his studies in the night time, when the nightmares were at their strongest.

Glasses askew, the teacher stuttered, "C-Correct, Kurosaki. L-Let's move on, eh?"

In the edge of his vision, he could see the brown-haired boy behind him straighten abruptly. He leaned to his desk-neighbour, hand covering the side of his mouth as if to hide his words (even though they were extremely loud). "H-How did he know the answer, Mizuiro? I could barely finish reading the question. But he-?"

The black-haired boy beside him nodded in agreement solemnly. "He may be smart, but that only shows how much you need to work on, Keigo."

Pseudo-tears spilled from his eyes, as the said boy collapsed onto his desk. "Mizuiro! Why are you always so mean to me!" He cried loudly.

The teacher, now having regained her composure, bore down upon the still-sobbing boy. All attention was now focused solely on him(excluding Ichigo's, of course), so much so that he instantly snapped to attention, all evidence of tears wiped from his face. "I am paying attention!" He announced, eyes darting around the classroom nervously.

A sinister grin sprung onto the teacher's face, now having picked her target (after the first had failed wonderfully). "Asano." She dragged out the syllables of his, taking savage pleasure in seeing how the boy paled. "Would you perhaps mind answering this question for me?" It was almost as bad as the question Ichigo got, and that was saying a lot.

"U-Uh…"

Just then, the bell rung. The boy, Keigo, expelled a large sigh of relief, staring up at the speaker that signalled his method of escape with something akin to worship. Ichigo stayed silent, simply opting to stuff the rest of his stuff in his bag and take his leave as quickly as he could. Just as he disposed of the last pencil within the depths of his bag, an unexpected complication came into play.

"Kurosaki-san… wasn't it?" The black haired boy from the row behind him stepped up beside his desk.

Ichigo gave a curt nod.

The boy gestured to the brown haired one that sat behind Ichigo. When Ichigo looked back, the other boy's eyes were comically wide, scanning the room before jumping forward into Ichigo's only path to exit and bowing stiffly. "Kurosaki-kun! You're so smart! Tutor me for maths!"

Ichigo swiftly stepped out of the way, continuing out of the classroom. "Sorry, I can't." He stated, not even bothering to look back at the boy behind him. He knew it would come off as rude, but he figured that leading him on would only be more cruel. However, it didn't seem to work in the way he intended it to.

"Don't worry, Kurosaki-kun. I'll bring along a pretty girl next time, and you won't be able to resist!" _What is this middle-schooler thinking? To think I would be swayed in such a way - in fact to even think of that as a solution!_

Ichigo gave an almost imperceptible shudder as they passed, fixing his gaze on the door and nothing else.

-

Ichigo was about halfway on the journey back to pick Yuzu and Karin up from Karakura Elementary School when he turned the corner to see a group of high-schoolers, looking to pick some fun with passing students. The superior grin didn't ever leave their face, even as they beat helpless children into the ground, with kicks and insults that they had no hope of defending against.

Ichigo's blood boiled. Picturing his dear sister's in their place, Ichigo could do nothing less than grit his teeth and clench his fists so hard that white bloomed under tense fingertips. _How dare they. How. Dare. They._

Before he could even have a chance to regret such a foolish response, his body leaped into action and he found himself in between the high-schoolers and their victims. His hands had already poised themselves in front of his face and body, retracting into the typical karate stance to begin a battle.

One of the high-schoolers laughed. "How nice! Looks like another kid would like to join the party! Why don't we show him exactly what it means to mess with us."  
And at once, fists and feet were flying at him from all directions. He was immediately thankful for all those karate lessons he went to, those impromptu spars with Tatsuki. They actually had improved his reflexes, and he found himself able to weave in between each would-be-blow, flowing from one action to another seamlessly. But he couldn't attack without losing his defence, and it was become increasing evident that although the fight may have seemed equal, one middle schooler against a gang double his size was never going to be a fight he could win. _But dammit if he didn't try._

A fist met his side, bringing with it a white-hot spark of pain. He reacted quickly, ducking out of the following punch and retaliating with a sharp jab, coupled with a satisfying groan of pain. There was little time to revel in his small victory as air in his lungs crumpled, his stomach under the mercy of two kicks and a knee-jab. A breathless wheeze surfaced from his throat. _Dammit, that hurts._

"Haha! That middle-schooler is so hilarious - he won't back down even after what we've shown him. He should realise… that even running away screaming isn't going to help him anymore."

Ichigo jumped back a few paces, returning to reassess the situation.

 _"Ichigo. There is a way to win, without further injury."_ Ichigo jumped as a voice spoke from the depths of his mind. His voice was rough and gravelly, battle-hardened.

 _'Who are you?'_ Ichigo thought _._

An image of the same ragged black cloak flashed in his mind's eye, single narrowed eye glinting.

 _You! From that day! I thought I dreamed you up!_  
_"I have always been a part of you, Ichigo. That day was simply the first time you'd been able to contact me."_

_'A part of me? Who even are you?'_

_"That is not important right now. It is time to teach you the basics of combat. These will be… adequate opponents for now."_

_'What? What do you mean?'_

_"Look carefully, Ichigo. Rule number one; look for weaknesses, chinks in what looks like infallible armour. See how the one on the left leans on his right leg slightly more than his left. And the second from the right - he keeps his wrist bent even when throwing a punch. These might all seem like useless at first, but when you can exploit them; that is the key."_

_'To have noticed such seemingly insignificant details, even going to far as to explain them clearly to me. Just who are you?'_

_He looked into the distance. "Maybe you'll be the first to find out."_

Ichigo returned his attention to the fight, to where a fist was centimetres from hitting him in the face. Its wrist was distinctly bent slightly, rigid and tensed. Ichigo felt a smirk curl at his lips, and instead of dodging like he usually would, he reached out an grabbed it, jerking it down with enough force that the body it was connected to fell with it. Another came running, most likely to support his fallen friend, although clipping the left leg and tugging on the ankle brought him crashing to the ground without much difficulty.

And from then, Ichigo was a storm. He ravaged the rest of the gang without breaking a sweat, capitalizing on each's weaknesses. It was just like the presence in his mind said; it he looked hard enough, it was so obvious that Ichigo didn't even know how he could have missed them. It almost seemed like a cloud of light-blue dust clung to each spot, a beacon to show Ichigo where to hit that caused them just the right amount of pain, or what move to use that would work the best. Making quick work of the abusers, he turned to see the young children he had been protecting, only to be confronted with wide-eyed, unconcealed gazes of admiration from the children behind him.

A young girl was the first to step forward. "Thank you, mister!" She exclaimed. Her voice rang out, and it seemed to be the catalyst for the rest of the children, each shouting their wishes of goodwill and gratefulness.

And to most, this would have been a dream come true. But to Ichigo, the only thought occupying his mind was _Shit. I'm so late, I need to hurry up and meet up with Yuzu and Karin. I hope they aren't worried._

-

"Nee, Karin, Ichi-nii is late. He's never late." She clasped her hands over her mouth, drawing in a shaky breath. "W-What if something's happened? What if he'd gotten into a fight with a high-school gang that beats up young children for fun and he's lying in an alleyway, all alone!"

Karin looked to the side, gazing at a small pebble by the side of the road. "He'll be fine. Ichi-nii already told us not to worry about him."

Yuzu gnawed on her bottom lip anxiously. "But still-" Her eye's caught sight of someone turning the corner, his orange hair unmistakable. "Oh! There he is!" She started running, feet moving before her mind could catch up.

"What? Oi! Yuzu, wait!" Karin cried, before taking off after her wayward sister.

In the middle of running, Yuzu stopped in her tracks. She hadn't noticed earlier, but the closer she came, the clearer she could see scratches, bruises, even some small blood splatters staining the usually pristine uniform. "Ichi-nii!" She gasped, "W-What happened?"

He gave a low rumble. "I'm fine." he muttered, turning away from them. "I just got in a bit of a fight."

_My brother! W-What if one day, he- like mom-_

She could feel tears start to gather in her eyes. Yuzu launched herself at her brother, wrapping her small arms around his waist tightly, stifling her head in his chest until she couldn't hear herself crying anymore.

"Yuzu?" He yelped, twitching back in surprise.

She burrowed her head deeper into his shirt, breath hitched in her throat. "Ichi-nii, don't ever leave us. Please."

And suddenly, Ichigo's arms were encircling her head, cuddling it against his chest. When he spoke, his voice was low and serious. "I won't."

Her twin came up behind her, standing to the side awkwardly. "Yuzu. Ichi-nii is injured. We should head home." She advised, gaze still riveted on the crimson spots on Ichigo. Although she didn't make any move to hug him or comfort him, the worry was practically emanating off her trembling hands. 

"O-Oh!" She sniffed, wiping away the remnants of her tears in the edge of her vision. "You're right, Karin. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. Let's go home, Ichi-nii."

He stared into the distance, eyes reflecting on the setting sun. A small smile played at his lips. "Yeah, let's."

 

 

 


	2. Look Forward!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the first glance into Ichigo's inner world, feat. Zangetsu-no-ossan!  
> A gillian comes, Ichigo nearly dies(but unlocks Heilig Pfeil and a rudimentary Hirenkyaku). Oh, and, Souken and Uryuu come along!

Ichigo just couldn't sleep.

It wasn't the comfort of his bed, or the warmth under his covers. It had been like that for a while now - or more specifically, the nightmares started on the night that his mother was killed. In fact, sometimes it felt like Ichigo had dreamt it all; that it was all a bad dream, and if he closed his eyes hard enough, he could even imagine Masaki's smiling face, tapping him awake with a gentle smile and soft touch.

But he knew in his heart that it was nothing but wishful thinking. His mother wasn't coming back, and nor was his father, or his sisters, or anything for that matter. Everything was changing around him. And he couldn't do anything about it.

However, there was one thing that made living bearable. A goal. A wish. A purpose. To protect his sisters, no matter the cost. Whether it be from a gang of semi-dangerous high schoolers, or the invisible monsters that roamed the streets; he promised, and he didn't intend to break it. His last pledge to his mother wasn't something to take lightly.

Things were starting to go back to normal, or as normal as they could hope for. Ichigo had returned home that night, cleaned himself up, and entered the living room, as per usual. But this time, another person greeted the sight of the empty couches. And Yuzu's face was more determined than he had ever seen.

Yuzu pushed herself forward, leaning over the table that separated the two. "Ichi-nii! Please, please, I can help!"

Ichigo let his eyes slide guiltily to the floor, away from those wide, pleading eyes. "Yuzu. It's fine."

"Ichi-nii, I've seen you at night in the kitchen or around the house when you think we're all sleeping. You've had bags under your eyes for days, and it sucks not being able to do anything about it." She started to sag, her arms timidly retreating to her sides as she followed Ichigo's example, averting her eyes. "It really _sucks,_ you know…" She trailed off.

"You don't need to worry. I'm fine. I can take care of myself, you don't need to do anything."

And the fire returned to her eyes, blazing in amber orbs. "See! I want to help, I really do. But you won't let me. Even if it's just cleaning or cooking, I just want to do _something!"_

She looked imploringly at him, eyes reminiscent of a kicked-puppy. An audible crack was heard in Ichigo's resolve. Yuzu's voice was strained and forceful; a far cry from her usual kind tone. And he had reluctantly agreed, and under strict supervision from an overprotective brother, she flicked through mom's cookbook. Ichigo was annoyed to note that she had already picked a recipe from the book beforehand, studied it, and made it perfectly.

Ichigo and Yuzu ate the best meal in the week that night. But Isshin still didn't smile.

Ichigo flipped over with a deep groan, shuffling to bury himself deeper in his cold blankets. He really wasn't equipped to deal with this shit.

And after a few more hours of deliberating, mercifully, the heavy syrup of sleep dragged him under their waters.

-

_He opened his eyes. And twitched._

_A skyscraper._

_A sideways skyscraper._

_An honest-to-god completely sideways skyscraper._

_'What the heck?' Ichigo snorted. He swivelled his head, only to see the offensively identical blue skies and clouds as far as he could see. Under his feet were clear windows, and the entire thing looked like a typical high rise. With no discerning features or anything but grey plaster and glass, it could be slotted into any urbanised city and it wouldn't get a second look._

_Well, except for the fact that it was **sideways.** And Ichigo was somehow, weirdly, **not** succumbing to the presence of gravity. _

_"Over here."_

_Ichigo jumped a foot high, whipping his head backward. He had his hands out in fists before he realised what he was doing. But luckily, that action was unneeded._

_'It's you again.' Ichigo grumbled, lowering his hands. He let his arms drop back to his sides, staring at the black-cloaked figure not 3 feet from him, balancing effortlessly atop a thin wooden pole. 'You're from the night my mother died. And yesterday, you told me all those stuff and then disappeared. Like, what the hell?'_

_His cloak rustled in the breeze, and he stared at Ichigo with an infuriatingly emotionless expression. "Everything occurs for a reason. But we strive to change that. To understand that, is the nature of a Quincy, young one."_

_That was… incredibly unhelpful. 'Well, answer me this.' He made sure to overenunciate each syllable, just in case. 'Where am I? And you still haven't given me a straight answer as to who you are.'_

_"This place… it has always been here. No matter what, no matter when. And as for me, you should know; my name is Z̡̕͜͡a͞n̸̢̕͢g̴҉e҉͢t̨̢͢͝s̴̵̡͞u̵̢͡-" Ichigo nearly flinched at the abrupt crackle of static filling his ear, blocking out any sound. It flickered only for a moment, and was gone in the next heartbeat. But he hadn't heard the last thing that man had said._

_The man slouched barely, disappointment hidden in the depth of his eyes. "Oh. I guess you still can't hear me. Even after all this time."_

_Ichigo cocked his head inquisitively. 'What do you mean?'_

_"There is time to learn, to discover the truth. I hope to see you again, young one, and maybe next time, my voice will finally reach you. When you wake, be warned." He turned to look at the sky, gazing into its endless blue._

_Ichigo opened his mouth to let out a confused 'huh?', but a second later, the blue skies and sideways skyscraper disappeared._

And then he was back in his bedroom. Head on the pillows, body under the blanket, sunlight warming the skin of his face. And coincidentally, a foot fast approaching his face.

Ichigo released an (admittedly) undignified squawk, and raised his hands in front of his face in a last-ditch block, while closing his eyes and preparing for the worst. But he hadn't had time to brace himself properly, and the foot crashed into his hastily-constructed shield, pushing it back and rattling Ichigo's teeth.

"Good morning, my son!" His father's voice, jovial and cheerful, greeted.

Removing his crossed arms from in front of his eyes, Ichigo looked disbelievingly at the sight; his father, Kurosaki Isshin, was grinning ear to ear, foot retracted and returned to its place on the ground. Yes, his father. The one who hadn't moved in the week following his mother's death, the one who had barely spared Ichigo and his sisters a glance whenever they were home. Even with Yuzu's pleads, even with Karin's wordless cries for help.

"…Dad?" He breathed hopefully. He squinted his eyes closed, and opened them once more, and thankfully his father was still standing there, happier than he had seen in days.

"Good reflexes you've got there, my son! You managed to block me in a split second!" He praised, leaning forward and making eye contact intensely. Therefore, it was then that Ichigo remembered that his dad had _tried to kick him in the face_ while he was sleeping _,_ and would have if he hadn't blocked it in time. That was just not something you would do to your child!

"What the heck, dad!" Ichigo expelled angrily, elation at seeing his dad back on his feet again evaporating pretty quickly.

"Come quick! Yuzu's making breakfast." Isshin just gave a small, peppy wave and slipped silently through the open door without another word. Still on his bed, forearms stinging, Ichigo ground his teeth. But he didn't bother contemplating his dad's sudden change in attitude; for now, it was enough that their family was coming back together, little by little, right?

-

The morning had gone well. Well, as well as expected. Yuzu was absolutely _ecstatic_ , Karin insulted Isshin a few times but Ichigo could see the repressed smile at her lips. The cooking was fantastic as well; apparently Yuzu had read up on some recipes the night before and the result was astounding. Yuzu's learning curve for cooking was certainly steeper than Ichigo's, and soon it would inevitably fall to Yuzu to take on mom's job.

But he should have known that the peace wouldn't last. At least not when your name is 'Kurosaki Ichigo'.

He didn't even really know when it started. It just kinda _grew,_ ballooning in his lungs and throat. It was uncomfortable, and Ichigo constantly caught himself muffling a cough in his sleeve.

Throughout his classes, whenever he'd try to think of the answer, a dull pounding filled his mind. Like soft nudges, or taps that made it nigh-impossible to concentrate at all. It felt vaguely familiar, but also distinctly foreign at the same time. And people kept commenting. Can they see that he just wanted to be left alone?

All in all, a massive headache.

For the third time _that class_ , a whispered voice piped up behind him. "Uh, Kurosaki-san, you don't look that good." _Urg, there it was again. That annoying voice; Asano Keigo._

Ichigo scowled, "Leave me alone." He scribbled down a few equations to seem like he was doing something, and hoped against all hope that the other boy would leave him alone.

"But-"

Finally, after suffering through half the day with this _thing_ , Ichigo slammed his hand on the desk and stood up.

"Sensei, may I be excused? I feel sick." Between clenched teeth, Ichigo forced the politest tone he could muster

To his surprise, the teacher just narrowed her eyes at him and straightened her glasses once more. She muttered something behind her sheet of paper, and Ichigo took that as confirmation and left. He didn't hear any enraged shouts behind him so it seemed to be okay.

Just then, he heard an inhuman shriek echo through the air. He crushed his hands on his ears, trying to block it out, but his foot caught on air and he fell forward.

 _Dammit, I haven't been this clumsy in years._ Ichigo dragged himself up, fingers gripped on the wooden banister as he regained his balance. _Wait. I've felt this before - it’s the same as the night my mother died!_

Ichigo willed his legs to move faster, run quicker, ears following the unending sound of the howling. _I have to stop it, whatever it is! Before it can harm my family._

"Shit!" Ichigo paused midstep as an immense… _pressure_ appeared. He couldn't barely move, breathe! The sky darkened above him, a black shadow enveloping the park and building around him. Darker than a simple cloud, darker than an autumn storm.

He barely had a chance to spur his legs into motion, when the previously tranquil sky started to tear, ripping down the middle like a ruined tapestry. But inside the gaping mass, it was black. So very black.

Ichigo held his breath. There was something… moving inside, the black twisting and warping. Taking an involuntary step back, the air pulsed with something so innately _wrong,_ that Ichigo's hand trembled.

Then it came. A flash of white in amid the dark was its only warning, growing larger, wavering into a stark white mask. Red eyes pierced his, teeth open and bared in a horrific, spine-chilling expression. A black cloak fluttered behind it, gossamer darkness pulling from the hole as if it were a part of the abyss itself. It was so much bigger than the thing Ichigo fought that day… If that killed his mom, what could he do against-

_"Ichigo. You must call upon my power." The old-man's voice._

_'No, no, no! There’s nothing I can do. I’ll just end up dead, like mom. Or maybe that would be better… for everyone.'_

_"Ichigo! Concentrate. Remember what you did that night. Reach to that feeling, summon its power. This isn't a simple enemy. You need to protect your sisters, or does that promise you made mean nothing to you?"_

_What…?_ Ichigo shook his head, gritting his teeth. _No. He would do this. For his family._

A pendant of cold metal dangled upon his palm, the cold so penetrating that Ichigo wondered why he hadn't felt it before. _His mother's cross._ But there was something so _natural_ about it, like a breath of fresh air on a stifling summer's day, or the burst of fireworks in the night sky. So he chased that feeling, and found himself gripping it in his hand hard enough to feel the points digging into his skin.

 _"Yes Ichigo, like that!"_ The praise from his inner consciousness cemented his resolve. He closed his eyes, taking deep, calm breaths away from the world around him. A spark of blue played across his eyelids. About to blink, it sparked again. And again. And suddenly, scattered blue light was the only thing he could see.

He opened his eyes, looking down at his hand. The now-familiar blue bow was steady in his hand, his mother's cross the centrepiece of the framework, a slice of matter in the ethereal sparks.  
_'Whoa. I did it. I actually did it! Well, there's only one thing to do.'_ Raising his bow in front of him, he let his instincts take over, one arm retracting a glowing blue arrow. "…Heilig Pfeil, right?" And he let it fly.

Its aim was impeccable. Its power was unflinching. Its speed was impassable. And yet, yet, it didn't seem to have any effect on the monster at all!

"Wha- What the heck?" Ichigo stuttered. _If it's that strong, then-_ A bone-white hand emerged from under the midnight cloak, slim fingers carrying with it a sort of eerie grace. It lashed out, piercing a nearby skyscraper, plaster and glass crumbling, crunching sickeningly. Chunks of debris rained onto the street below, craters and cracks appearing in the tarmac.

Red beams spewed from its mouth, spraying with wild abandon around the city like stray spotlights, although instead of passing over harmlessly like light would, each left a trail of upturned concrete in it’s wake. Ichigo jumped out of the path of one of them, but as the monster roared again, more appeared in Ichigo’s path, making each step a roulette as to where _wouldn’t_ there be any damage. And then, one was heading straight for him, and there was rubble all around him, and he couldn’t dodge in time. But an invisible breath of wind ruffled through his clothes, blue particles meandering past, and subconsciously he latched on. A millisecond later, he appeared meters away from the beam, and it instead crushed the pavement where he used to be, while he stood, unharmed, gaping at _whatever the heck he just did._ But he didn’t have any time to contemplate, because the monster was now looking openly at him, quite definitely noticing his presence.

Ichigo shot two more glowing arrows at the beast, but it batted them away like flies. He ran through the streets, shooting aimlessly at the monster every few steps, but it didn't seem to do any damage other than the increase of volume in the monster's roaring.

And when he turned the corner, he wished he hadn't. A clawed shadow draped across his shoulders and onto the grass around him, curling around his figure ominously. Ichigo was almost scared to look up, but he did, and the monster's white hand hovered above him. He was but a measly insect to the sparkling ruby eyes, fixed on him.

_So… is this it? I'm sorry mom, Yuzu, Karin. I couldn't protect you._

His eyes snapped open as a rush of wind hit his face. The landscape blurred around him, green and blue streaking behind him like spilled paint. His wrist was gripped in a frail hand, connected to a kind-looking man with grey hair and a thick moustache.

They stopped abruptly, Ichigo stumbling forward with the sudden cease of motion.

"Stay here, young one." He said softly, eyes gentle from behind clear lenses, "I'll take care of it."

Ichigo blinked. "Who-"

But the man was already gone.

"Hey! I saw the arrows, was that you?"

He jumped, twisting to the side in surprise. A boy, about his age, stood there with fluffy navy hair and small, dark framed glasses. He was smiling widely, hands balled into enthusiastic fists of which he was waving around carelessly.

"Uh, yeah, that was me." Ichigo stuttered. His fingers tangled awkwardly in the hair at his collar in an unconscious gesture of nervousness. "You were watching?"

He nodded furiously. "Yeah, I was! Can you teach me?"

"I… actually don't know how I did that. So, yeah, I can't really teach you if I don’t know it myself." He admitted, smiling helplessly. Just then, a stunning explosion of blue erupted in front of the monster's mask, a million blue arrows pelting each and every exposed area of the monster, who was helpless against the sheer number and speed of the arrows.

"Wha- What?!" He spluttered.

A proud smile bloomed on the boy's face. "That's my grandpa! He's so cool and strong, don’t you think?"

Ichigo lacked the grace to answer, so he just kept quiet and watched. The creature gave a deafening moan that reverberated deep in Ichigo's chest, and threw its head side to side like it was having some kind of headache. Still thrashing, it retreated back into the darkness, the black wound closing after it, curling around it's form like opposing waves. It snapped shut with a decisive clap, knitting back to a seamless blue sky.

In an instant, the old man from before appeared before them, flickering into existence, those same weird blue particles clinging to his form like honey.  
And in the next instant, the boy was on him, tugging on his jacket with a blazing admiration. "Grandpa! Grandpa!" He exclaimed, sparkles falling around him in droves, "What technique did you use today?"

His eyes crinkled, a smile curling under the expertly trimmed moustache. He ruffled the boy's hair, and the boy closed his eyes happily under the gentle ministration. "It’s an ancient technique we Quincy’s call Licht Regen. I’ll be teaching you that later in our training, if you’d like?”

Ichigo felt a flash of bitterness at the tender view of affection from the two, but closed his eyes and forced himself not to think about it. Instead, he stepped forward, still on the boundary’s for fear of interrupting such a delicate moment, and asked, “Quincy.”

They both turned to him, questioning looks on their faces.

“That’s what you said before, right? Quincy. You have a bow and cross just like me, and you can see those creatures too. Who are you?”

The old man hefted the other boy up, propping him on his arm like a fluffy soft toy. He lay a supportive hand on the boy’s shoulder, curling him into his chest. _The picture of familial love, huh?_ The man gave a laugh, deep and rumbly. “My name is Ishida Souken, Quincy.”

The boy spoke up too, tone high-pitched and confident. “And I’m Ishida Uryuu, his grandson and proud Quincy in Training!”

“Ichigo.” He said curtly. _A first name isn’t too much, right?_

Souken nodded in agreement, patting the boy’s shoulder. “You are a Quincy too, Ichigo. You bear the bow and the cross, and the reiatsu far beyond a normal human’s. There is no doubt that you are one of us.”

 _I? A… Quincy? What the hell?_  There were a million questions running though his head, but all that could come out was a slightly disjoined “-h-how?”

 “You must have a blood relative of the Quincy bloodline. This power is inherited; that is the only reason why you would have this… You seem surprised, young one? Have they neglected to tell you this?”

Ichigo shut his eyes, shaking his head with an air of conviction. _Dad was always weird, but he definitely wasn’t whatever this is. And Mom was kind and caring and the best mom I could ask for, but she wasn’t someone who would go all bad-ass monster-slayer_. “None of my family is a… Quincy, or whatever you call me. I would know.”

 “Hmm,” He put his fingers to his chin, rubbing absentmindedly at the collection of hairs there. Then, his eyes zeroed in on the cross, of which was still just barely visible in Ichigo’s clenched fist. “That cross, there. It is a Quincy heirloom, to be passed down the generations. How did you come by it?”

_How… How I got it? Mom gave it to me, but she couldn’t have been a Quin- No wait. If I think about it, she seemed to know exactly what it did when she gave it to me. And she didn’t look shocked at all when the monster came, in fact, she looked resigned more than anything. With a touch of resolution. Did that mean she knew about all of this? And didn’t tell me? But if she had the power, then why didn’t she do anything against the monster that killed her? She would have been able to take it easily. So why? Was it because of me?_

“Ichigo?” Souken questioned quietly.

Ichigo averted his eyes, seeking comfort in the shadow of the son. Biting his lip, “My mother. This was my mother’s cross.”

“Your mother.” He brightened. “May I speak with her? It is always good to meet another of our kind.”

“No.” _He can’t. I can’t. No one can. Because,_ “She’s dead.”

His tone dimmed considerably, and Ichigo saw as he imperceptibly pulled Uryuu closer. “I see. Another loss, and even for one so young. I am sorry for your loss, Ichigo.”

Ichigo gritted his teeth. “I don’t need your pity. I’ll become stronger, and make sure it never happens again.”

He seemed to consider Ichigo’s words, before saying “It’s not good for a young Quincy to fight alone, much less without proper training.”

Ichigo huffed and crossed his arms. He was going to fight, whether _that man_ liked it or not. He owed it to his mother, his sisters, at least. But what he said next, Ichigo could never have predicted,

“So, Ichigo, would you like to join us? I know more about the spirit world and Quincy techniques than anyone you know, and I can make you stronger than you would become by yourself. Your mentor was cruelly stolen from you, and I accept it if you do not wish to train with us. But no matter what, you will always be welcome.”

 _I can be strong. Stronger than his enemies. Stronger than those who want to hurt him._ Without a pause, Ichigo dived headfirst. “I will.”

Uryuu grinned.

 

And he vowed, “I swear, on the cross of my mother, to do all I can to protect those I love.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, please forgive me...  
> I changed up the ages and timeline slightly just so that it would match up with my story and Ichigo would actually learn Quincy Techniques from a teacher(bc there literally isn't anyone else and Ryuken doesn't count).


	3. Go Forward!

"Hollow's? Quincy's? Reishi?" Ichigo threw his hands up. It had only been a day since the attack and his subsequent meeting, but Ichigo was already lost.

Souken rubbed Uryuu's head calmly, and continued, "It may be confusing, since you haven't had a teacher all these years, but believe me, this is the truth. Would you like to continue this another day, perhaps?"

Ichigo exhaled, "I believe you, but it's just a lot to take in. And it's fine, keep going."

"As I said, Quincy's are merely spiritually aware humans who have gained the power to manipulate what we call 'reishi', spirit particles. That ability is the core of our power and allows us to dispatch Hollows as Shinigami do. However, Shinigami are fundamentally different; they are purely soul, using a different power source than us. They also have the power to send souls to a place named 'the Soul Society', where souls reside after death. Hollows are normal human souls that have remained in the human world for far too long, and abandoned their humanity in lieu of devouring as many human souls, living or dead, as possible to regain the vestiges of humanity through others. That's what we faced that day; and most likely what killed your mother."

Ichigo gritted his teeth, clenching his hands in a tight fist.

Souken noticed, but didn't say anything. "Although, I would implore you _not_ to engage any Hollows. Because us Quincy's don't use the specialised equipment that Shinigami have access to, we do not merely purify the soul, but completely obliterate it from existence. And that is why Shinigami have declared war against our people."

"Huh? But why?! Would they rather a hollow murdering everyone while they take their sweet time in getting there like yesterday-"

Souken cut in. "I don’t think all Shinigami are bad. Both worlds depends on balance, of the 'soul cycle'. We have the power to disrupt that, and they see that as a threat. Someday, I'd like to work together with a Shinigami and maybe, finally, heal the bonds between the two races. We both have the same goal but it's just a matter of working together to achieve it."

Ichigo hummed his assent; he didn't really get it, but he wouldn't do anything against Souken for now. But if they even so much as laid a _hand_ on his friends, those Shinigami wouldn't live to regret it.

Uryuu tugged on his grandfather's moustache impatiently. "Grandpa, Grandpa, that's enough talk for now! Let's train!" _Honestly, Uryuu was almost his age and yet so much more childish. Ichigo envied that happy-go-lucky demeanour; it reminded him of himself when… she was still around._ That brought a rueful smile to his lips. _And he would never get that again. But maybe, he could make sure his sisters would._

Souken stood up, Uryuu springing off his lap and bounding around the grassy field as if he were an errant ball kicked around the lawn.

Ichigo rose from his seiza in a much more reserved fashion, dusting off his pants with slow, measured movements. Souken called Uryuu back with a beckoning hand and led them to a grove of trees, far removed from the hordes of little kids and teenage joggers occupying the park.

"Okay, Ichigo, to start, try summoning your bow."

Ichigo carefully brushed his fingers on the bumps and ridges of the metal cross, reaching for that same feeling. Once again, unbidden, the figure of the man came to mind. He blinked, opening his eyes as he felt a whisper of sparks race across his fingers. The familiar blue bow was clasped in his hand.

"Good." Souken praised.

Uryuu also had his arm extended, holding a Quincy bow, light arcing across the surface like sparks against water.

"Ichigo, watch Uryuu." Souken gestured, as his grandson carefully erected an blue-tinged arrow before letting it go, where it stuck solidly into the tree on the other side of the glade. Souken smiled proudly. "This is called-"

"Heilig Pfeil, right?" Ichigo interrupted. "The arrow."

Souken's expression was one of surprise, Uryuu's mirroring it. "How do you know that? You said that you've never had a Quincy teacher?"

Ichigo cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Yeah, I've never even met another _Quincy_ in my life. But there's this weird guy that keeps showing up every time I use my Quincy powers, and he taught me a little about them, I guess." He paused. "Actually, not just when I use my powers…"

"Is this possible…?" Souken murmured.

Uryuu retracted his bow and turned to the two of them. "Grandpa?"

"Ichigo, I have reason to believe you've met the spirit of your Quincy powers. However, even the fact that you've seen him is nearly impossible; you've been a Quincy for less than a month, and masters train for years, centuries even to communicate with their spirits!"

Ichigo raised his hands in mock-surrender. "Hey, I didn't ask him to come out - he just showed up when I picked up the cross."

Souken was growing more and more astonished as the conversation continued. "You didn't even try to summon him, and he came?"

"Umm, yeah?"

Souken's expression melted into a mysterious smile. "I think you'd make a great Quincy, my boy. Come on, time to train, you two."

_-_

_That night, Ichigo's dreams were once again plagued with the black silhouette of a man, standing on the point of a cane, cloak fluttering in the bridge. This time, without waiting for the other to approach him first, Ichigo was the one to forge ahead and set his hand on the stiff shoulder._

_He has a lot of questions to answer…_

_"Hey, you." Ichigo said curtly._

_The figure turned slowly, the stiff lines of his face illuminated by the stark, black shadows lining his cheeks. "Ichigo," He replied, voice gravelly. "What brings you here today?"_

_"Listen, old man, you've heard and seen everything I have, right? You know why I have questions for you." Ichigo confirmed, "Souken said that most Quincy never even come in contact with their spirits for all their lives, but you, you were different. You reached out to me, instead of I to you. What I can't understand is exactly what makes me, well…?" He trailed off._

_When the last notes of the slight, upward inflection died out, he opened his mouth. "There is something… intrinsically different about you, Ichigo. You have a far greater connection to the spiritual as a human, exceeding that of even the most skilful Quincy, perhaps even a Soul Reaper."_

_"But why?" Ichigo pressed._

_"That," The man hesitated, rugged hair framing his face in sharp, uneven edges as he turned to face Ichigo. "I cannot tell you, I'm afraid."_

_"You can't tell me… or you won't, old man?"_

_He stayed silent, unmoving._

_Ichigo exhaled forcefully, drawn out into a long, dramatic sigh. "Okay. You know what, I won't press you. But someday, there are a lot of questions I need to ask you - not to mention, how you came to be in my mother's possession! And sooner or later, you'll give me the answers I want." The last word echoed finally in the world of glass and plaster, as the teen closed his eyes and blinked out of existence._

_He disappeared before he could see the gentle smile adorn the usually stoic features, and the man settled beside his sword and bow, staring into the horizon._

-

Ichigo woke once more, after a night of unanswered questions, to a flying fist at his face. He jerked back in surprise, the fast movement so vastly different from the serene, stagnant calm pervasive atop the skyscraper, but he was just that touch faster than the last few mornings, this time diverting the fist's trajectory to an empty patch of air beside his face. He was, for the most part, blessedly unharmed. 

"Ichigo!"

"What the heck, Dad?!" He yelled, although after the countless times those words had left his lips, they sounded artificially loud and mechanical.

"Your reflexes have improved, even in this short time. I commend you, my son!" He praised, before casually swaggering out of the room. Down the staircase, Isshin further commented, "I hope to see what we can achieve with more practise together!"

Ichigo gritted his teeth, and rather than enacting his revenge on his psycho-of-a-father (as he so wanted to do), he resolved to just pull on his school uniform and get ready for the day, with the overall excessive and exuberant yells from downstairs going mostly ignored.

When he finally descended the stairs, Yuzu gave him a sparkling smile and "Good morning, Ichi-nii!". Isshin opened with a "Good morning ICHIGO!", mirroring Yuzu's young-girl cheerfulness and charm with little success. Karin levelled an unimpressed look on her father, then looked at Ichigo and nodded coolly instead of speaking.

Breakfast was largely uninteresting, and after Ichigo had offered his own compliments to the chef (who blushed bashfully at his words), the meal was eaten in silence.

When the morning meal drew to a close, Ichigo waited for the last of his sisters to appear, as he loitered near the front gate in pensive silence. After what would be called a-complete-waste-of-5-minutes-of-life, his sister Karin tapped her foot impatiently against the ground, hand placed to the side of her mouth to call out into the main hallway. "Hurry up, Yuzu, or Ichi-nii and I are going to leave without you."

A panicked reply was heard from inside the house, coupled with a few concerningly loud crashes. "Yes, coming, Karin-chan, Ichi-nii! Please wait for me!"

Ichigo sighed affectionately as his youngest sister dashed through the door, bag slung inelegantly over one shoulder, collar up on one side and down on the other. Karin pushed open the gate, strolling down the pavement without a backwards glance. Ichigo stayed near the gate, and as his other sister ran past him, he plucked the bag from her side, fixed her collar and pat her head a few times. She closed her eyes, pouting.

Karin groaned again from the sidewalk, pulling at her bag straps. "I'm leaving without _both_ of you if you don't get a move on."

Yuzu held out a hand for her bag, now slung over Ichigo's free shoulder (a bag on either side), but he just scowled and nudged her forward. "Let's go, Karin won't wait much longer." He walked off without turning back, and Yuzu presumably ran after him, because after a few footsteps, she was at his side once again.

"Come on," He said fondly. "Let's get you two to school."

-

_Ichigo: 'I have something to do after school today. Don't wait for me.'_

He clicked his phone shut, feeling a stab of guilt at leaving his sisters. He was sure they'd understand, they always did, but it was something he wanted… no, needed to do. To learn how to fight. Learn how to kill.

Souken had warned him that with the spiritual energy of a Quincy, you attracted hollows like a moth to light. His sisters were of his blood, of the blood of a Quincy, and Ichigo knew they'd be targeted sooner or later.. But before that happens, Ichigo would train, and train, and learn how to protect both of them, before they'd take their first step into the world of the dead.

And he hadn't any evidence to say that Souken wasn't who he claimed to be, and Ichigo decided he'd trust them for now… but stay on his guard, nonetheless. He wouldn't let anymore of his family die.

When the small, sequestered park came into view, he blinked in surprise. The two were already waiting for him.

When Uryuu caught sight of him, the boy waved ecstatically, his hand high in the air. Souken followed suit, although elected to greet him in a far more sedate manner, a smile quirked at his lips.

"Uh, hi." Ichigo said, intelligently.

"Hello." Souken responded in good humour, "Are you ready to start your training today?"

"Of course," Ichigo replied easily.

Souken nodded appraisingly. "Then come with us. We have something to show you."

Ichigo followed them into the trees, the forest canopy thick and the ground shadowed. The only source of light visible was behind them, at the park where they had departed. It was eerily devoid of any life, not even insects.

The forest went on for much further than he thought even the park extended. Maybe it was the lack of landmarks, or the flittering shadows in the corner of his vision, but his sense of distance was completely useless here.

Ichigo suddenly felt extremely uneasy. "Oi, Souken, are you sure you know wher-"

His mouth snapped closed as the forest opened out into a hidden clearing, sunlight drenched. Birds chirped from the trees, grass shuffled in the wind and the trunks were strewn with the deep gouges typical of arrows.

"Wow…" Ichigo breathed, in spite of himself, "What is this place…?"

Uryuu leaped up, bow gripped in his small hand. He was waving it in excitement. "Our _secret_ training ground!"

"Well," Ichigo said viciously, manifesting his bow, "Let's get started, huh?"

-

It had been a week since Ichigo had begun training with Souken and Ishida. Ever since that first lesson ("You have a much larger reiryoku reserve than most, Ichigo, even within Quincy circles. I'm afraid that you'll have to learn to control this abundance of reiryoku before we begin training for real), Souken had put him to task, pulling reishi from the air and creating a single ball of condensed reishi that would hold for at least 1 hour. It was, and he quotes, _the most basic Quincy training exercise,_ used for babies before they are granted their cross. And now, after a whole week, Ichigo had achieved this.

"Yes! I've done it! Ha, take that, reishi!" Ichigo tossed the ball up in the air victoriously, and when it descended once more, he kicked it high into the sky where it exploded into shards of electric blue.

"Well done, Ichigo." Souken praised, while Uryuu giggled in the background. "Ichigo, would you mind forming your bow for me?"

"Sure." Ichigo shook his cross onto his palm, and focussing his energy on it. It was instinctive by now - the once bursting feeling had dimmed to a rather cooling sensation, like a light breeze against his skin. His mother's face flashed in his mind, smiling and uncaring, a ghost of the happiness present before the hollow attack. It was comfortable, and the reiatsu flowed from the air into his palm like it was made for it.

It sprung to existence, larger than he'd ever seen it. It was now almost the length of his body, the bottom tip of the bow hovering above the ground by a few centimetres. Surprising, the size added no weight, and it felt just a light and manuverable as the first time he'd held it.

"Wow." He brought the bow closer to himself, so he could examine it a bit more. The blue was far more prominent, and where it had seemed rather fuzzy around the edges, it had sharpened into points. Just out of curiosity, he ran his fingers over it a few times, and it resonated with a light hum.

"Very good, very good. Now, try shooting with it."

Ichigo grinned - this was the day he had been waiting for this entire week. Even Uryuu seemed curious enough, having paused to view Ichigo's show.

Feeling the reishi pool into his fingertips, he followed the same techniques he had with the reishi ball. After doing it so many times, reishi gathering was second nature to him. But if the reishi ball training had been a trickle, this was a flood.

Suddenly, he felt full enough to burst. The reishi he'd accumulated was far more than anything he'd ever attracted before, and it felt like he was simultaneously being squished down and floating at the same time.

Without waiting for Souken's gesture to go, the amount of reishi he had was ballooning, filling him up to the point where he had to suck in a breath to keep it all down. In one arrow, he shoved all the reishi he had and it sprung to life on the bowstring. But he could feel something different than all the previous times he'd shot the arrow.

This arrow was steadily expanding, past the reishi cross that signified the furthest point of the bow. The arrow grew to almost half the length of the clearing, and at this point, Ichigo was staring, wide-eyed at his creation. Dragging the larger-than-life arrow upwards until it's trajectory cleared the tops of the trees, he allowed his finger to drop and the arrow flew from the string with a happy buzz.

It was _exhilarating._

"How was that?" Ichigo smirked and whirled around to look behind him, "Met your expect-"

He cut himself off, because the once serene Quincy master was standing there, frozen, glasses tilted a few degrees off normal. Souken opened his mouth to speak, but the words seemed stuck to his tongue like honey.

Uryuu looked to be about the same state.

After a few moments, as the last of the blue disappeared into the afternoon sky, Souken shook his head, a small smile hiding under his moustache. "You have met my expectations, above and beyond."

Ichigo let himself feel the rush of praise fill him.

"However…" Souken continued, "That kind of attack, while intimidating at first glance, is rather impractical considering its charge time and while its size adds power, it loses the element of surprise, what we Quincy are known for." Between sentences, Souken materialised a ball of reishi not unlike the one Ichigo had trained to create and tossed it to Ichigo. He fumbled to catch the ball, and in a split second, Ichigo refocused his control on the ball to keep its shape, and in consequence, the reishi forming his bow melted away. "Therefore, we must train harder for the next few days to regulate and fine tune your reishi-manipulation skills." Souken finished with a twinkle in his eye.

Ichigo groaned in chagrined anticipation.

And in the background, Uryuu laughed as he formed a single, perfectly sized arrow on his bow. 


	4. Never Stand Still

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo's training continues~  
> A (not-so) unfamiliar transfer student comes to Karakura School 9 years early.  
> Ichigo has a cheerful talk with Zangetsu, who proceeds to berate him on everything he's done wrong in life so far.

 

 

 

_"Hey, old man or whatever your name is." Ichigo's voice was rough with exasperation. "Am I going to be seeing you every night from now on?"_

_"As you reach further into your soul, the more I will appear."_

_"Ah," Ichigo bit his lip at the once again cryptic answer. "How come you'd never appeared to me before this then, huh? If I had met you earlier, there would have been a chance that I could have been able to save mum." He tried to keep the vicious, accusing edge out of his voice._

_The man's voice was soft when he said this, but the bite of steel was tangible. "You lacked the resolve to make contact with me. It was the death of your mother - the loss of the silk cacoon that you'd been nurturing since birth - that finally made you truly want to get stronger. And that's what called me out."_

_"Huh." Ichigo's voice was carefully neutral._

_"I can help you, if you let me. This is all up to you - I am but a part of your own soul, am I not?" The man regarded Ichigo at a sideways glance, eyes cold like stones in pools of darkness. But there burned a fire, perfectly integrated between the ice._

_"Some questions of yours are better left unanswered for now. You've but discovered one side of the coin that makes up your soul. What will you do when the coin is flipped?"_

_-_

Ichigo slid into his seat reluctantly as the bell chimed from the loudspeakers, bracing himself for another day of school. He could see Mizuiro and Keigo whispering in the corner of the classroom, constantly flitting their gazes between him and themselves. It was disconcerting, but he resolved that the constant crawling on his arms and back was better than them actually coming to talk to him.

Just as he closed his eyes, the teacher slid into the classroom, the loud clapping of her hands jerking him out of his stupor.

"Okay everyone, quiet down! Today we have a new student joining us, please welcome him as he gets to know everyone." The teacher lowered her voice, and although it was quiet, her voice was as serious as ever, if not threatening. "You were all new once, and I expect you remember what it felt like." 

Then her voice lightened to its usual commanding tone. "Okay, come in!"

A head a navy blue hair ducked into the classroom, big, innocent eyes shining from behind clear lenses. The signature tinkle of a metal bracelet blended with his, and he took his hands off the table and sat up a little straighter in dumbfounded interest.

"This is Ishida Uryuu. His family is new to Karakura Town so please treat him with respect."

Uryuu bowed demurely, and Ichigo found he couldn't quite reconcile the quiet, shy boy in front of him with the one constantly-giggling and fawning over his grandpa's power.

"Okay, Ishida-san, your seat is there." The teacher gestured to the empty seat beside Ichigo's, Uryuu's gaze following the teachers hand until it rested on Ichigo himself. Making eye contact, Uryuu's face broke out into a carefree grin, one much more at home on his face.

Uryuu swept between the rows of desks and set himself down on the aforementioned seat, and as he flicked a grin at Ichigo beside him, he seemed all to self-satisfied for Ichigo's comfort.

At maths class, first period, he slapped his book on Ichigo's table, interrupting whatever shreds of peace Ichigo had scrounged together.

"What." Ichigo grumbled flatly, barely taking his eyes off his textbook.

"Hey,  _Ichigo-kun,_ " Uryuu stressed his name with a sort of vindictive cheekiness, "I don’t really understand this question. Could you perhaps help me?"

Ichigo blinked. "No. Go away."

In the corner of his eye, he saw Keigo making big Xs with his arms with an expression bordering on terror. Ichigo pretended he couldn't see, but Uryuu looked between Ichigo and Keigo in confusion, and raised an eyebrow accusingly at Ichigo.

Ichigo buried his head in his hands in near-exhaustion. "Fine." he mumbled. Just to prove Keigo wrong, Ichigo pulled Uryuu's textbook over to him and started pencilling out workings. Uryuu nodded and hummed as each step was drawn out for him.

"Thank you, Ichigo-kun! That was really helpful!"

Keigo was making disturbing noises behind him, his mouth flapping open like a fish. Beside Keigo, Mizuiro was shaking his head and patting him on the back, although his expression was anything but sympathetic.

-

When school ended, Ichigo bore down on the boy still swinging his legs playfully from the school-issued chair.

He slapped a hand on Uryuu's table, the boy behind it still the picture of innocence. Ichigo had the express pleasure of letting out a rather  _exquisite_  scowl.

"So,  _Ichida-san_ , mind telling me exactly what you're doing in my class, and especially in the middle of the year? And acting so  _familiar_."

Uryuu gave an unabashed grin, leaning forward on the palms of his hands. "We are friends, are we not? We've trained every day together since the day I met you. Which reminds me, Grandpa said to come with me after school; your reishi control is-"

Ichigo slapped a hand over Uryuu's mouth, effectively stifling whatever he was going to say next.  "Don’t just casually mention those kind of things!" He hissed, somehow injecting it with more malice had he shouted it. "Normal humans can't know about this. For their own safety!"

"Ah, right!" Uryuu replied cheerfully.

Ichigo ground his teeth together. "Don't just 'ah, right' me…"

Abruptly, Uryuu sprung from his chair, grabbing both his bag and Ichigo's wrist in one smooth motion. "Anyways, just come with me! Grandpa's waiting!"

"W-Wait!" Ichigo protested, his unrestrained arm scrabbling for the edge of his bag that was still teetering off the side of his chair. His fingers just managed to hook around the edge of the bag straps, and it fortunately followed him outside the door without losing any of its contents.

-

"Imagine your mind as a blank palette, nary a spill or splatter of paint to mar the surface. Now, picture a ball of light in the centre, glowing the colour that suits you the most. Imagine the light flowing through every part of your body - that is your reiryoku."

Ichigo strained to keep the image in his head, pulling the corners into place by sheer willpower. Souken's deep voice was both mesmerising and soothing, like a warm ray of sunshine washing over on a snowy day.

"Now, the rest of the room has been splattered with different colours, or every shape, every colour, every mix. They're as different as can be, but you know that it's all made of the same materials. That is the reishi you feel, every moment of the day. With the paint on your palette, you can add your own thin layer of paint over the others. You can, for a limited time, change your surroundings to it your own perception of the world. That is what we Quincy do."

Ichigo  _really_  wasn't an artist. He could feel his eyebrow twitching as he imaged himself tripping over the metaphorical paint bucket and smacking his forehead onto the floor.

"And so-"

Uryuu sniggered, the sound so foreign in its tone that Ichigo's concentration broke for the final time.

Ichigo cracked an eye open in annoyance to see both Uryuu in full-blown laughter, and Souken's moustache twitching suspiciously in the way that either meant you were choking down a particularly sour umeboshi, or were desperately stifling a laugh.

"Ichigo, you should have seen your face! It was like half your face didn't know what to do with itself! It was- I-" The end of Uryuu's sentence dissolved into unintelligible giggles.

Souken stroked his beard, having regained his composure enough to look far more effortless at concealing his mirth.  "Hmm… It seems like this meditation isn't working, Ichigo-san. We'll have to use other methods to reach your reiryoku core."

"No, shit. I  _told_  you I was bad at all this meditation stuff. And you said to give it a try anyways - look where that brought us. A whole hour, lost in the wind."

"Well, well, no harm in having tried! Now, we'll have to see what other methods we haven't already tried… Hmm… Actually, I have an idea."

"An idea? What-" Ichigo's reflexed jerked him to the side, as a shimmering Quincy arrow ripped to the side of him and stuck solidly into the trunk behind him. Inhaling a sharp breath of surprise, he contemplated what that arrow would have done had it embedded itself in Ichigo's stomach instead of the tree. "The hell was that for?!"

Souken had his right arm extended, blue Quincy bow traced along its length, although his other hand still remained by his side. An arrow was notched onto the bow, held there, seemingly, by Souken's masterful reishi-manipulation alone.

Ichigo's fingers reflexively sought out his cross. As he raised his hand to materialised the bow, Souken shot a pre-emptive arrow that sliced past Ichigo's wrist, too fast for the eye to catch, yet the phantom tingle of his skin was undeniable. Quiet, cleanly, impeccably, Souken severed the leather band holding the cross to his wrist in one single movement. Even the pale skin at his wrist stayed unblemished.

Ichigo's hand flinched back so abruptly that the cross slipped between his fingers and tumbled onto the forest floor. It's silver gleam winked from under strands of grass, taunting, teasing.

 "No bow this time, Ichigo. Dodge!"

And so the hellish, one-sided game began

The selected game seemed to be a combination of an arcade-like shooting sim and the classic 'Hit the Mole' - only Ichigo was the mole and Souken seemed increasingly accurate in his where he next chose the hit the hammer.

Ichigo had no time, no breath of air that wasn't held down by the anticipation of the next shot. He could not even bend to pick up his cross, for that one second of vulnerability would be more than enough for the next shot to land between his eyes.

The arrows continued to come after him, sheet after sheet, like luminescent rain. Ichigo danced out of the way, arching his body uncomfortably to the side to avoid a wild spray of arrows aimed at his face and another at his shoulders. Once, he was forced to launch himself onto a low-hanging tree branch as arrows decorated the ground where he once stood, and with no time to waste, he pinwheeled himself to kneel on the thin branch.

He let go of the branch with an undignified squeak, leaping off and retreating further into the dense greenery. The quiet thud of arrow after arrow lay in his wake, the sound barely fading before the next took its place. Strangely enough, the low buzz of reishi seemed perfectly normal in this forest, blending seamlessly in with the whisper of the highest branches.

Ichigo hastily scaled a tree, ensconcing himself between two opposing branches that twisted and turned like the dance of a snake. His breath was loud as he took desperate, fulfilling gulps of air, before forcibly restraining the rate of intake to near-unheard. The leaves around him quivered merrily, and he could almost imagine the gleeful whisper of gossip hidden in the unintelligible susurrus.

_What the hell am I supposed to do? What does Souken want? He wouldn't be doing this for no reason… just how am I to defeat him without a weapon? It would be hard enough with one! It's impossible!_

Just then, Ichigo felt a murmur of wind brush over his shoulder, like a wash of current under the soles of ones feet. Reishi blue tinged the edge of his vision. He shivered involuntarily, and spun around, his elbow mimicking his movement as a sword might follow a master swordsman.

Let it be said, it was  _not_  successful.

He met nothing but air, stumbling forward a few paces to regain his balance on the thin branch. The wind brushed past him again, and he turned to where he had been moment before, only having enough time to register Uryuu's cheerful wave when a barrage of arrows attack him from below.  _Souken._

_Working together. How unfair._  Ichigo mentally imagined with vicious pleasure himself planting a foot on both their faces. The scene was strangely clear, having been repeated again and again as soon as he opened his eyes in the morning; rather daily routine by now.

Fleeing in desperation, Ichigo nearly tripped over himself trying to get away from the relentless attacks, and he had just succeeded, leaping off in a graceful arc into clear territory-  _wait, no_. The blur was once again present, and this time he felt it brush the skin of his ankles and then his legs was tangled into a ball of yarn, and he was losing his balance, tripping,  _falling._ Leaves rustled around him, cutting into his skin with caustic passion. The air snaked around his body like rope, pulling him downwards, dragging him to the inevitable.

_He couldn't die here. Not hidden in the shaking leaves like an outcast, a coward._

Most say that when one is near death, in a flood of adrenaline, time slows down. It is possible to see everything in a single moment of clarity, hear everything in a beat of silence. For Ichigo, it seemed as though the opposite was true. The flow of time felt concentrated on him, the tick of the clock just that little bit faster, hastening his greeting with the ground.

_He couldn't die here. Not without a fight, his mother's last gift to him cast away, slipped between the layers of dried leaves and compost._

The chaotic smear of colors weren't any less confusing than before. Tightening his fists in frustration, the pain shooting through his veins was as effective as any defibrillator. Uryuu's startled eyes were brought into sharp focus, as the young boy stood, shell-shocked, unmoved on the branch since Ichigo had fallen. Souken was in a similar state of distress, bow still manifested but held limply by his side, less from continued concentration and more from the simple shock.

_He wouldn't die here. Not when he'd be leaving his sisters without a protector, without anything to save them from the hordes of hollows that would surely overrun Karakura Town without him._  The blue of the arrows was burned into the back of his eyelids, the blurred lighting arcing across the arrow's shape as natural as the forces of nature.

_He really hadn't made a dent at all in this cruel world, had he? For all that he tried… this was to be his fate, a broken body in a shadowy forest clearing that none but him and two others had glimpsed. They vastly outclassed him in every way possible, he was 5 years too late._

_If that was to be his fate… then there was… nothing…_

Click.

The world seemed to stop, crackling and clicking insistently like an old-style projector, jammed between two frames of motion.

Ichigo felt a pull, gentle at first, but more insistent as time went on. It wasn't physical; it felt more as though someone was tugging his mind further into his body, almost as one would feel teetering on the precipice of slumber.

Then, the world dissolved.

_"Oi, old man, what am I doing here? I was just falling and…" Ichigo trailed off, scratching the curve of his neck on the skin that tingled with embarrassment._

_And with no warning at all, Ichigo was once again startled backwards as the black-cloaked figure materialised in front of him, face mere inches from Ichigo's own. His eyes bore into his, the touch of gentleness that had always peeked through the veneer of stiffness was all but gone. Now, all that was there were hard onyx crystals that shone with undisguised rage._

_"Ichigo! This behaviour - I will not stand for it! I have raised you better; Your mother has raised you better. This is not **you**! What had become of that fire, that passion that fuelled you to summon me the first time? When your mother was dying, she handed you her most prized possession to you, her little protector. She thought you the world, and how do you repay her?" Visibly restraining himself, the man drew back, fiery tone boiling down to a bitter, acerbic compote. "If you were just going to lay down and roll over at the next threat presented to you, you shouldn't have called on me to begin with."_

_"Wha- No, that's not it!"_

_"Then, what?" The man's black eyes were sharp, blade-like as they cleanly dispatched his poorly construed excuses._

_"I-" Ichigo found himself floundering, caught off guard by the sudden hostility of the strange, mysterious man that haunted his dreams. "I wasn't giving up; but there was no way to win, not against those who've been training longer than I have been alive!"_

_"Training is not a matter of hours, not a matter of relentlessly drilling the same topic over and over." The old man said. "The Quincy way is one of learning, of self-discovery. Talent is not all -  persistence is not the deciding factor in a battle between two Quincy masters. One's sharpness of wit, the ability to adapt in the middle of the fight and pierce your opponent's weakness with a single, precise move - that's the Quincy way. What need of we for earth-shattering blows, flashy attacks that take years to master, if only one clean shot is needed? Distraction is practical, sleight of hand is imperative. It's how we've kept up with the soul reapers who have hundreds of years under their belt, generation after generation."_

_Ichigo paused. "I know that, but…"_

_"Don't you want to win?" The man said, stirring a strange feeling in the hollow of Ichigo's abdomen. "Don't you want to feel the rush of victory coat the inside of your mouth, feel the satisfaction of lowering your bow as your opponent's hopes of victory are crushed underfoot? See how they submit, how their bodies acknowledge your authority no matter how much their minds protest." Ichigo felt his head dip helplessly, even as his throat dried up with the implications of that sentence._

_"You're a different one, Ichigo. Quincy methods of meditation and focus won't work on you. Your mind depends on the rush of battle, the haze that pulls your deepest instincts to the surface. You are more than a Quincy. You are more than human. There is much to be discovered in the pits of your soul, that you haven't yet brushed. If you find it, if you embrace it… you will be the greatest warrior this world has ever seen._

_For now, stay on this path. The road is clear from now on, for a few more years at least. You'll be safe._

_As a gift, I can give you but this:_

_Abandon your fear. Look forward. Move forward and never stop. You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you hesitate._

_Don't let me see you in this pathetic form of yours again. There are times when I will be less forgiving."_

 

 


End file.
